"My daddy can dance sword, it's amazing!"
"My daddy can fly high. The last time my sister's kite was hanging on a tree, my daddy flew up and took it down."
"My father knows how to weave grasshoppers, and the weaves are beautiful."
…
The immature voices scrambled, making Shen Xinyan behind the bushes want to laugh. Just as she was about to go out, she heard Shen Feng and Cui's eldest son softly asking: "Brother An, what about your father?" ? What would your daddy do?"
An Ge'er's eyeballs rolled around, and it took a while before he said crisply: "My daddy can embroider!"
"Ange is lying, only mother can embroider, but father can't!" A child retorted loudly.
"No, my mother can embroider, and my father can also embroider. The embroidery is really beautiful, even more beautiful than my mother's embroidery!" Brother An said angrily when he saw that they didn't believe it.
"Really?" said a dubious voice.
"Of course it's true. It's not a good boy who cheats. I never lie!" Angle said proudly, puffing out her small chest.
Immediately afterwards, he added loudly: "Your daddy can do it, so can my daddy, but my daddy can do it, but your daddy can't. So, my daddy is the best!"
"Brother An's father is amazing!"
"Yeah, it's really amazing, even the things my mother knows."
"Oh, if only my dad could also embroider, then he would be even better than An Ge'er's dad!"
…
"Pfft!" Shen Xinyan couldn't help laughing anymore.
An Ge'er, who was surrounded by his friends, saw her sharply, and immediately ran over with short legs, calling out crisply, "Grandmother!"
Shen Xinyan gently caressed the little guy's face with a smile, and the other little guys also surrounded him with a whoosh, chattering non-stop, scrambling to speak.
"Grandmother, I recognized five more characters today, and my husband praised me!"
"Grandma, grandma, I recognize one more word than him today!"
"I learned a new poem yesterday, Second Grandma, do you want to hear me recite it?"
"Aunt Shen, your mille-feuille cake is really delicious, can I take a few pieces home for Dad to eat?"
Aunt, grandmother, second grandmother, aunt Shen... There are various names, but they refer to the same person—Shen Xinyan who patiently listens to what they say.
Shen Xinyan always had a gentle smile on her face, responding to their childish words one by one.
Not far away, Wei Junhang, who happened to be returning home, stood beside the rockery with a smile, fully capturing this scene in his eyes.
Time flies, as if it is just a blink of an eye, the woman with a bright smile in the flowers has walked hand in hand with him for decades. Now, they have been promoted to the generation of grandparents, and the entire British government is always surrounded by the immature laughter of children.
After finally coaxing the little ones to follow their mothers to wash their hands and wash their faces, Shen Xinyan raised her eyes and met Wei Junhang's smiling face.
She couldn't help laughing, and walked towards him slowly: "You're back? Didn't you say you'll be back later?"
"Knowing that Mrs. Xu left Dundun in our house, Qiao Liu couldn't be in the mood to sit still, so he slipped away early." Wei Junhang explained.
Shen Xinyan smiled lightly: "Is he planning to force his son against his mother?"
"No, he intends to forcibly pick up one and send one away." Wei Junhang replied solemnly.
Shen Xinyan laughed out loud, and cast a glance at him: "You, you just like to watch other people's jokes by the side, don't you!"
Wei Junhang laughed, but did not deny it.
"It was Ying'er who brought Ange back? Could it be that she had quarreled with Yunfu again?" Seeing his grandson Ange bouncing back to the house by the hand of the nanny, he asked again.
"Ying'er brought it back. When did the young couple stop fighting? Just wait and see, Yunfu will come over in less than half an hour. At that time, it will only take a cup of tea at most, and the two of them will be able to get back together." Reconciled." Shen Xinyan disapproved.
Isn't this pair of friends fighting enough? Which time it won't be too long before they will reconcile, and the guns will be unanimous.
"This is really what kind of pot matches what kind of lid." Wei Junhang laughed.
The two talked and laughed, and walked all the way towards Funing Yuan.
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt." On the way, he saw Wei Chengqi walking with his pregnant wife from a distance, and Wei Chengqi and his wife also saw them and hurried forward to greet them.
Wei Chengqi's wife's family background is not high, but the daughter of a fifth-rank civil servant, but her quiet temperament is very similar to Wei Chengqi's. Shen Xinyan originally thought that these two people who don't like to talk get together, maybe they are deaf and dumb, and they have nothing to say. It wasn't until she accidentally saw them getting along in private that she realized that she had really guessed wrong.
The men of the junior generation in the Duke's Mansion, except for Wei Chenglin who is far away in the northern border, are all married. Now even Wei Chengqi is about to become a father. In contrast, Shen Xinyan is inevitably disappointed.
Seeing her staring blankly at the back of Wei Chengqi and his wife leaving without saying a word, Wei Juanhang felt strange at first, but after a little thought, he understood. After a while, he took her hand and said softly: "In half a year, Chenglin will be gone." I'm going back to Beijing."
"What did you say?" Shen Xinyan was stunned, and couldn't believe what she heard.
If she lives at this age in this life, there is nothing she can't let go of, and only her eldest son Wei Chenglin who is far away in northern Xinjiang.
There were several times when she saw Yang's second bedroom amused with her grandchildren, even though she didn't show it on the surface, she was very envious in her heart.
Sometimes she even thought, would it be because Zhou Wanning married another person in this life that her son would not even be able to marry
"Yes, His Majesty has already agreed, and the officials sent to replace him have already set off. Cheng Lin will be able to return to Beijing in half a year at most." Wei Junhang replied.
Shen Xinyan was both surprised and delighted: "This is so great! If my mother knows this news, she must be very happy!"
I don't know if it's because my heart is always concerned about the marriage of the eldest grandson, the eldest princess in this life has lived longer than the previous life. This time, in the few days before the death of the eldest princess in her previous life, Shen Xinyan guarded her almost every step of the way, and tried her best to make her laugh, until she passed the death threshold of her previous life little by little. , was completely relieved.
She felt that the most painful thing about having two lifetimes of memories was knowing that the person she cared about had passed away, and tried every means to avoid it for the other person, but in the end she was powerless.
For example, Mrs. Jing'an Botai in this life, and her father-in-law in this life-the former British Duke.
One died earlier than in the previous life, and the other died at the same time as the previous life.
There was a smile on Wei Junhang's lips, but there was a look of worry between his brows.
Although the Eldest Princess's body doesn't look bad on the surface, and her spirit doesn't look too bad, he can't fail to see that her health is no longer what it used to be. If it weren't for the persistent concerns in his heart, he might have followed the old man early in the morning.
This is also the reason why he sent his eldest son back to Beijing ahead of schedule.
***
Northern Xinjiang.
Wei Chenglin rode his horse and galloped on the endless grassland, the blue sky was cloudless, and the smell of green grass was everywhere, with the breeze blowing towards his face, bringing a refreshing fragrance.
He reined in the reins, turned around and looked at the vast land, with a satisfied smile on his face.
In the past three years, the situation in northern Xinjiang has gradually stabilized. Although the conflict between the Rongdi people and the people in northern Xinjiang has not been completely eliminated, it has been greatly reduced. The Rongdi people have gradually integrated into the local area, and the shocking power of the government has also increased greatly.
At least, in the last year, it is no longer necessary for him to personally shock the Rongdi people and the people of northern Xinjiang who are in conflict.
"General, are we going back to Beijing?" A fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy drove up to him and asked.
"Yes, I'm going back to Beijing!" Wei Chenglin smiled slightly, his expression full of nostalgia.
After being separated for many years, I don't know how my grandmother and parents are doing, whether everything is fine as stated in the letter.
"Is the general going back to marry the general's wife? If so, the Mo family girl will be very sad." The young man asked with a smile.
"Don't talk nonsense, be careful of damaging Miss Mo's reputation." Wei Chenglin frowned in disapproval.
The boy stuck out his tongue at him, knowing that he didn't like to hear these words, so he quickly changed the subject.
The general is good at everything, but he doesn't like to talk or laugh. But even if this is the case, it can't stop the girls who like him from rushing forward, especially the daughter of Lord Mo, the prefect of Mo in the city, who is getting more and more courageous with frustration, and has no intention of retreating at all.
The camp has secretly set up a gamble, betting on when this Miss Mo will be able to take down the cold-faced general, but unfortunately now that the cold-faced general is going back to Beijing, Miss Mo's intentions may be betrayed.
And there are certainly not a few people who lose money because of this gamble.
Wei Chenglin didn't pay attention to the regretful expression on his face, he only cared about his relatives far away in the capital, especially the eldest princess. From his father's letters in the past, we can know that his grandmother has been missing him these years.
When he thought of the kind face of the Eldest Princess, he hated him so much that wings sprouted from his ribs, teaching him to fly back to his relatives in the capital at once.
The Eldest Princess in Beijing also soon learned the news that her eldest grandson was about to return to Beijing, she was so excited that she kept saying hello, and her eyes became wet unconsciously.
Seeing this, Shen Xinyan hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile: "Brother Lin made a promise to his mother before he left Beijing, and now he is about to fulfill it. I wonder if my mother has a suitable grandson-in-law in mind?"
Of course the eldest princess also remembered the words Wei Chenglin said to herself before leaving Beijing, and because of those words, she insisted on not letting herself fall down.
The eldest grandson's daughter-in-law didn't enter the door, so how could she just close her eyes and kick her legs.
The eldest princess laughed, and said proudly: "Of course there are."
"Yes?" Shen Xinyan just said casually to coax her, never thought that she really had a candidate, and was momentarily surprised.
"I don't know which girl it is?" she asked.
"I fell in love with this girl last year, she is the most suitable for Brother Lin, but at that time I didn't know when Brother Lin would return to Beijing, so I didn't dare to say, I just kept paying attention."
"Thinking that if there is fate, and this girl hadn't made an engagement before Brother Lin returned to Beijing, then I will make the decision and arrange her for Brother Lin; if there is no fate, then that's the only way to go."
"Looking at it now, this girl is indeed destined to be with Brother Lin!" Speaking of this, the Eldest Princess couldn't hide her complacency, and she seemed to be several years younger.
"Which family is the girl from? My mother really hooked me up." Hearing what she said, Shen Xinyan became even more curious and asked with a smile.
The Eldest Princess, however, seemed to be trying to trick her: "Brother Lin, who will succeed you when you arrive in Northern Xinjiang?"
"To replace General Huang, who has relapsed from his old illness and is unable to perform his duties."
"When did General Huang return to the capital?"
"It is reasonable to go back to Beijing after the handover of business affairs is completed. It was just because the doctor diagnosed General Huang's injury that he was not suitable for long-distance travel. Therefore, General Huang stayed in northern Xinjiang and did not return to Beijing until his injury improved last year." Seeing her was full of interest. , Shen Xinyan also accompanied her around in circles.
"Then, does General Huang have a daughter in his boudoir?"
"According to what I know, there is... Could it be that Miss Huang is what mother was talking about?" Shen Xinyan finally came to her senses.
The eldest princess smiled with satisfaction: "That's right, it's this girl!"
"This surprised me a little. How could my mother have a crush on Miss Huang? This Miss Huang has been living with her father in northern Xinjiang since she was a child, and she only returned to Beijing last year."
There are still some things that Shen Xinyan didn't say, this girl Huang is indeed not a good candidate in the eyes of the wives.
First of all, this girl grew up in northern Xinjiang. Where is northern Xinjiang? In the eyes of the people in the capital, it is a barbaric place, and the people there are barbarians. Naturally, this girl Huang is also a half-barbarian from northern Xinjiang.
Secondly, this Miss Huang is the eldest daughter of General Huang. Mrs. Huang passed away a few years ago, and General Huang has never remarried. This eldest daughter without the guidance of her biological mother has never been a good candidate for a daughter-in-law of a wealthy family. .
In the end, women nowadays regard whiteness, cleanliness, and softness as their beauty. This yellow girl grew up in northern Xinjiang, where the wind and sand are more than fierce and the sun is fierce. Of course, it doesn't mean that Miss Huang's appearance is lacking, but compared with the spoiled young lady in the capital, she is indeed not refined enough.
There is another point that Shen Xinyan can't tell others, that is, the life of this girl Huang is really not very good. She lost her mother when she was young, married someone who was not a good person, and half her life was miserable.
"This girl is a piece of rough jade, easy to carve. In the future, she will be able to set up a family relationship with Brother Lin. It's ridiculous and lamentable that people in the world are used to picking people up, and they are trapped in rules and regulations. They don't know how to inlay jade with gold."
"Although this girl lost her mother in her early years, she has taken over the role of mother over the years and managed everything in the house in an orderly manner. It can be seen that she is extremely intelligent."
"Be filial to your father, raise your younger brother, have both filial piety and righteousness, and never complain about others, which shows how broad-minded he is."
"In terms of character, there are not many girls like her in the whole capital. I look at these days with cold eyes, and I am really distressed and grateful."
"I feel sorry for this child who has been criticized so well, but fortunately, those vulgar people don't know gold and jade, which also gives us a chance to pick up the leak!" The Eldest Princess sighed.
"Mother thinks so highly of this girl, if we can't marry her back, it's really a pity for our family." Shen Xinyan said.
"Just wait for Brother Lin to come back and ask him what he means, then we will send someone to propose marriage." The Eldest Princess made the final decision.
Shen Xinyan responded with a smile: "It's just as mother said."
So far, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finally reached an agreement on Wei Chenglin's wife candidate.
Five months later, Wei Chenglin, who had been away from the capital for more than three years, finally returned.
As soon as he entered the door, without saying a word, he knelt down in front of the elder and kowtowed several times respectfully.
The Eldest Princess wanted to stop him, but Wei Junhang held her tightly to prevent her from coming forward, and shook his head inaudibly at her.
The eldest princess understood what he meant, and stood aside with tears in her eyes, watching her eldest grandson's forehead quickly become red and swollen.
"Grandmother, your grandson is not filial..." Wei Chenglin said with a choked voice.
"It's really unfilial of you to make your elderly grandmother worry about you." Wei Junhang said slowly.
Wei Chenglin bent down again.
"Now, after many years of self-imposed exile, have you figured it out? Have you let go of what you should let go? Are you ready to take what you should bear?" Wei Junhang asked seriously with sharp eyes.
Wei Chenglin met his gaze calmly, and said calmly: "My child has experienced a lot in these years. She was born and died several times, and her life was hanging by a thread several times. After the danger was saved, looking back on this life is like a dream."
"There are many things in the past that cannot be traced back. My child only thinks that the most important thing in a person's life is the word responsibility."
Wei Junhang's expression finally eased, he went up to help him up personally, patted his shoulder, and said softly: "Go see your grandmother and mother."